Saint86

I don't care what they think, its a no brainer, sell lala and get shaqira!

Well I've veered from optimistic, to realistic when reading about people's skeptical views on his tactical knowledge. This article gives a more in depth of him as a manger, He's certainly not going to be poch and we won't play three narrow attacking midfielders under him. I'm braced for change, and perhaps a drop in performance (early days yet so god knows what playing staff we'll have let alone tactics or effectiveness), but all said and done... I am feeling optimistic! And we won't get relegated so certain posters (and Darlek) will be happy!

I don't think there has been any evidence of a transfer request from Lovren. And on top of that, he has been switching is his profile pics to him in a saints shirt at various points throughout the world cup. I will bide my time before assuming he is off personally. Although, if Barcelona are really in for him then I don't think anyone would begrudge him that move.

http://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/p6_0_25580_ronald-koeman-what-southampton-should-expect.html#.U6lHLvldVWI onald Koeman has replaced Mauricio Pochettino at Southampton but what are the Saints getting from the former Netherlands international? Gary Howells explains… Ronald Koeman has replaced Mauricio Pochettino at Southampton October 24, 2010 was the date. The Philips Stadion was the venue. 10-0 was the scoreline. It was Feyenoord’s biggest ever defeat, inflicted by rivals PSV Eindhoven and the particular lowlight on their way to recording their lowest ever finish in the Eredivisie. What’s more, they were in big financial trouble; young talents Georginio Wijnaldum, Leroy Fer and Luc Castaignos would all be sold in the summer, with no money available for incoming transfers. It was going to be a long road back to the top. Ronald Koeman was the man tasked with the un-envious job, making history in the process by becoming the only man to both play for and manage Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord. Off the back of unconvincing and short stays at Valencia and AZ, as well as being viewed as an Ajacied by the Feyenoord fans, there was plenty of work to be done to win the trust of the fans. One season is all it would take, as Koeman lead Feyenoord from 10th place to second and into the Champions League play-offs for the first time since 2003. During the next two seasons Feyenoord would finish third - missing out on second only by goal difference - and second again last season, but Koeman will be remembered for much more than Feyenoord’s league position. He restored pride to the club and managed it all under great financial restraint, spending less than £4m over his entire stay, while nurturing some of Feyenoord’s finest young talent from the Varkenoord academy. Bruno Martins Indi, Stefan de Vrij, Terrance Kongolo, Jordy Clasie, Tonny Vilhena and Jean-Paul Boetius were all either given their chance by Koeman or nurtured into the players they are today. Such is his faith in youth, he handed Boetius his debut against Ajax in de Klassieker and was quickly repaid when the youngster calmly slotted home after just 23 minutes. Ronald Koeman has come to Southampton in search of a new challenge After three years at Feyenoord Koeman thought it was time to test himself at a higher level, with the Premier League his preferred destination. As luck would have it, a vacancy at what seems a well-suited club had just opened up, with Mauricio Pochettino departing Southampton for Tottenham Hotspur. It’s easy to see why Southampton went for Koeman; the similarities between the two jobs are striking. Just like when Koeman began at Feyenoord, Southampton too are facing a fight to keep hold of some of their better players, with Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw and Dejan Lovren all strongly linked with moves away and Rickie Lambert already completing his dream move to Liverpool. With Koeman’s history of trusting in and developing youngsters, the Southampton board have appointed the perfect man to get the very best out of their high-yielding academy. With players such as Jay Rodriguez, Nathaniel Clyne, Calum Chambers, Sam Gallagher, James Ward-Prowse and potentially Luke Shaw, there is already plenty for Koeman to be working with. For the large part of his stay in Rotterdam, Koeman set Feyenoord up in a traditional Dutch 4-3-3, with two wingers and a real No. 9. Koeman displayed his tactical flexibility towards the end of the season, however, as Feyenoord finished the campaign playing the 3-5-2 that Louis van Gaal has adopted during the early stages of the World Cup. With the full-backs providing all of the width and given the freedom to attack almost at will, this is a formation Southampton fans may be seeing more of, with the likes of Clyne and potentially Shaw at Koeman’s disposal. Graziano Pelle could follow Koeman to the Premier League It has also been strongly suggested that Koeman will be joined by one of his ex-players on the South coast, Graziano Pelle, who certainly has the ability to help Saints fans forget about Rickie Lambert. Standing at 6ft4, Pelle is a strapping centre-forward who was integral to Koeman’s Feyenoord over the past two seasons, scoring 50 goals in just 57 Eredivisie appearances. As comfortable with his back to goal as he is in front of it, Pelle proved to be the ultimate target man for Koeman’s Feyenoord and moving with a manager who clearly knows how to get the best out of him and trusts in his ability, his transition into English football could be a smooth one. For all of his success with Feyenoord there are still a few questions that remain of Koeman. His Feyenoord side retained an extremely strong home record during his three seasons there, but on the road they were often found to have a soft underbelly, losing to the likes of PEC Zwolle, RKC Waalwijk and ADO Den Haag last season. Feyenoord’s failure to run Ajax closer last season must also raise questions. Ajax were not at their machine-like best and Feyenoord’s worst ever start to a season, coupled with stuttering runs thereafter, never put them in a position to challenge, despite what was their strongest squad for some years. It will also be interesting to see how Koeman’s method of publicly criticising his players translates to a squad that received so much backing from their previous manager. Ultimately, Koeman now finds himself at another well-suited club, one which is in considerably greater shape than the Feyenoord one he found three years ago. If he is given the time to work with their kids and build on the impressive foundations laid by Pochettino, the Southampton fans will learn to love him just as much as those in Rotterdam have done so before them.

Glasgow can only wish he was as ITK as you Gemmel, instead he must bow down and worship

Agreed

This has zip all to do with ability of players, and everything to do with tactics and developing an effective system with what you have. Every manager has failed at this since Hoddle and laughably Venables before him. The FA and England set up are dinosaurs, and pick the same stagnant rubbish over and over again, promoting from within from the same stagnant train of thought. The nonsense about youth development being dead in england is acting like one big smoke screen and distraction, they are pouring all their efforts into solving the lack of good youth systems and not addressing the major issue that they can't pick an exciting and forward thinking manager, nor can they pick players based on merit and not ego and reputation. the result is stale, stagnant and predictable football that has seen our nation game go backwards for nearly 20years relative to everyone from Spain to Chile or even Australia. Big change is needed (but will never come) right at the top, and on the nation psyche of the English game - which recently is hard to actually recognise as a style of play. That is my 2 sense worth at least What I did tonight, was compare how terrible England were to how attacking and dangerous we were under pochettino, we never really looked like scoring and all our chances were half chances, Uruguay carved us open a couple of times, and duly punished us with a half fit striker. England haven't played a style of game they were comfortable with since 1998. If people think we are going to beat Costa Rica I can only ask to have some of what you were smoking. They are a fresh and exuberant side who will likely need to achieve just a point against us, with nothing to prove. Their players aren't world class, nor think they are, but they have an effective system with a lot of energy. We will have our work cut out to gain some pride, and if we do somehow win, we'll pay outselves on the back and say its a young team learning... its not... the only kid in that england team was frigging sterling. The rest was the same old usual bollarks.

Utterly smack on mate. Tactics awful. Picking Johnson ever... awful Stirling as anything other than an impact sub - ****ing retarded. hendo and gerrard as defensive mids? Tactics utterly utterly shocking. Hodgson really should go after this but won't... because he's been brave and picked the youth (which translates as a 17year old girlfriend beating **** head) played out of position and depth... then picking the same old same old, united, liverpool and chelsea. Horrendous. Players like Ox, shaw, lallana, wilshire have done very very well not really being involved in this tbh. On the plus side, I picked no england players and I'm top of all my fantasy football leagues So I knew damn well what was coming trolololol

Liverpool I would have thought, considering most in that city can't afford it and are just trying to steal everything from Southampton.

One imagines that the club would use correct spelling, even on twitter.

In short, MoPo spuds and Liverpool can go do one? Lallana on a tightrope on the edge of getting the same treatment? If I give MoPo any reaction it will be boo-ing for sure. Whilst he stuck with us, he was clearly posturing for a new club, tagged the club, players and board a long for the ride, and I will never forgive him for Sunderland away. Yet again, Reed appears to be at the heart of everything positive about southampton. And to think he was getting widely slammed at times on our ascent. Feeling positive and glad I renewed!

Sign him this ******* instant! Utter quality vs Brazil

Compare this interview to Pooch's first one in english, where he literally looks like a slobby gringo, slouching, belly out, t-shirt on, 3 days stubble on his face... The compare their records both as players and as managers... No Brainer for me. Should (on paper) be a quality appointment. Our Laudrop but better?

Koeman the Barbarian!!!! He's coming for you!!! Oh Pochettino, we're coming for you!

FFS people, it has been said they want it done before national manager jobs are being handled post WC. It has been said that the board want experience both as a player and a manager of winning leagues, wining cups and playing in Europe.. Its FDB or Koeman, very outside chance of Yakin. It is not Tuchel, and unless you think Bruce is going to get the England job by 2015, its NOT HIM EITHER! sit back, enjoy watching Holland and guess which dutch players we're going to be signing in 2months.

What are you talking about, i was reliably informed by posters on here that the club has been a "laughing stock" for the last few seasons.

I've put bets on Tuchel, and FDB already, plus yakin and RK as a spread bet. I have to say, listening to what Les Read had to say about the managers past experience of playing and winning in europe it can only be two of those 4 (or An Other!) For me, its going to be FDB or RK. Bear in mind that FDB is on record as looking for a new long term challenge/project and wants to manage in the premier league. You can bet he is there or thereabouts, and I think the board will go for experience, pedigree and LOYALTY this time! FDB for me.

You mate are an embarrassment. Climb from League 1 to premier league in back to back seasons, achieve safe finish, then get record ever points total in the 4th season... "1 step forward 2 steps back" - Christ you don't half talk horesh1te. as for "We're a ****ing laughing stock" - I've lost count of the number of clubs and manager who have said we are the model football club, and the path they should follow. Lets be clear here mate, We've lost a manager who has won nothing, has a 50% sack rate, and who has zero loyalty for the club or its players. And we've lost a 33year old striker for decent money, who gets to go to his dream club after dragging us up through the leagues. You're post is utterly over the top, the bed wetting going on on this forum is unreal.

So hang on, we have no actual evidence of our player leaving at they are all an absolute disgrace.

I'm not referring to the club leaking a story about a comment Adam gave himself in an interview in Brazil I am saying that that has been taken out of context though, which I think most of us agree on. However there has been a fair portion of people jumping on the "bandwagon" and negatively attacking him for it which is unfair if you listen to the actual interview. What I was referring to the snippets of negative stories coming out about Adam very recently, typically relating to him aggravating for a move, wanting to get out of the club and trying to pressure the board for a move prior to the world cup. All stories are leaked for a reason, some are simply done to sell papers etc, but in this case you have to accept that Guan and Blackmore etc are not really gaining anything out of it and are just informing the fans. They have the information due to their proximity to the club and in Guan's case he confirmed that his source had no objection to him posting it on saintsweb. There is only one reason that I can see why the club would happily allow negative stories about the clubs captain and primary figurehead leaking out, and that is so that the fans view him in a negative fashion and won't turn on the board if he is sold. I may be wrong, but that is how I see it. I appreciate all snippets of genuine in the know informations such as that leaked by Guan recently which were generally really insightful, and this is not me bashing him etc. But as stated above, it all serves a purpose re the fans. The sources have connections within the club and either owe their information to goodwill (you scratch my back, I'll scratch etc) or they are the club. Therefore just as we judge information from the press (and many accused Cortese of stirring following MoPo's departure, you have to casst an eye over the opposite side and wonder why it is coming out etc. Until Lallana either says he wants to leave or hands in a transfer request, I have no evidence to doubt his commitment to saints. It was also interesting that he was praising the clubs representation within the England set up today, and saying it was good for the club. Not someone who is aggravating for a move in my book. Time will tell, but i suspect the board may have basically agreed a deal for Adam

As kids who loved football, it would be one of the best days of your childhood if you'd got to kick around with the then England team, or say Brazil team. For a country with a tighter bond to football than even we have, and one that watches a lot of premier league football, I can honestly believe it was a very big deal for those kids, especially given the conditions they grow up in, where football literally is a massive part of the favellas. But hey ho, lets slam our captain for remarking on how much it meant to the kids and on how much the england team enjoyed the experience of bringing happiness to the kids. Many have bought into the anti Lallana PR that the club have spun recently. And, at the end of the day, he is still a saint and hasn't handed in a transfer request, if the club want to sell him, its in their interests to leak stories that make him look bad, which they have been doing recently ala blackmore guan etc etc... Surprised so many fans have jumped on the "he can no right" band wagon. He's been with us through an awful lot and it is widely accepted he's turned down top clubs on several opportunities.

Well, scratch 4k plastics off the list then. Give or take. The true fans followed the club throughout the defeats, relegations and blanket player sales, they certainly stick with it when we lose one player and a manger

Woosh.... Why do you think I put a facepalm... Jesus Christ, you are slow today

One way to guarantee losing a manager is to actively look for his replacement whilst he is in the job. Correct me if I am wrong, but did we not want MoPo to stay? If you knew your company were looking for a replacement, would you not actively look for other opportunities? Not to beat down on your negative anti saints, anti board, anti KL agenda... But at least pick a consistent attack. They were weak for not keeping MoPo, but they were weak for not searching for a replacement whilst he was in the chair